Convergence

After Liu Jun calmly, precisely, and in detail described his process of shooting down three enemy aircraft, Song Xizhu, standing beside him, looked at the papers in front of her. Most of the questions had been answered in his description, with only a few remaining for further detail.

Song Xizhu adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, memorized the questions she needed to ask, and then looked at Liu Jun, adopting a tone of inquiry. Although her military rank was higher than Liu Jun's, rank was granted by the people, not a basis for pride.

"Comrade Liu Jun, I have three questions for you."

"Please, go ahead."

"The first question: during the engagement, when the enemy attacked and damaged aircraft [140], why did you evade preemptively?"

"I sensed danger," Liu Jun replied truthfully.

It sounded rather mystical, but the others believed Liu Jun. The human sixth sense existed, though science had yet to provide a universally convincing explanation.

"The second question: why were you not visually deceived by the unidentified flying objects?"

"It was also a feeling. They looked strange to me, and during the engagement, I judged them to be some kind of optical decoy."

"Feeling."

Song Xizhu nodded, writing the word "feeling" on the paper, and then added some of her own speculations.

"The last question: how did you accurately determine their positions?"

This point was crucial. Seeing through optical decoys wasn't uncommon; the other two J-15S aircraft had also detected the optical decoys. But how did he pinpoint the location of the actual targets? Any referenceable experience would be invaluable.

"Still a feeling, I can't really describe it."

Liu Jun answered truthfully again. It was more like he just "knew" where the target was. Super-sensitivity? Special abilities? Qigong? He couldn't explain the sensation himself.

"Okay, I have no more questions."

The Lieutenant Colonel looked at Song Xizhu, seeing that she had no further questions. After draining his cup of water, he stood up.

"We've taken up too much of your time."

"Not at all, you've worked hard too." This wasn't just politeness; they truly had.

Zhang Peng and Liu Jun stood up and followed the two out of the cabin.

"Thank you for saving the 815A vessel! Goodbye! If you ever have time to visit us, we'll definitely let you try our local specialties."

The Lieutenant Colonel and Song Xizhu looked at the two, saluted them solemnly, and then quickly turned and left. They had to return home without delay.

After seeing them off, Zhang Peng turned to his protégé and smiled with satisfaction. The kid knew how to give him an out. This recording would surely be studied, and Liu Jun had certainly made an impression. He would definitely get a promotion, but that was just on the surface. Having passed the test of battle and proven his oath under the national flag, Party flag, and military flag, his future promotions would be smooth sailing.

"You've really made something of yourself, kid."

"Mm," Liu Jun responded calmly.

"Not excited at all?" Zhang Peng looked at his protégé, who didn't seem particularly interested in a promotion.

"Serving the people!"

"Let's go! Time to eat!"

As the two walked towards the mess hall, the Lieutenant Colonel and the technicians boarded the prepared Z-8. The rotors churned the air, and the Z-8's landing gear slowly lifted off the deck. Once airborne, the pilot adjusted the rotor pitch and flew towards the Shandong.

After the Z-8 had flown away, two J-15s, equipped with external fuel tanks, provided escort at high altitude.

Inside the helicopter cabin, Song Xizhu wore headphones to protect her hearing. The noise from the helicopter's turboshaft engine was considerable. She lowered her head to organize her notes.

"Professor, have something to eat."

Lieutenant Colonel Wang handed her a piece of compressed biscuit and a bottle of mineral water. He then distributed biscuits and water to the other technicians; they didn't have time to sit down for a hot meal.

"Thank you."

The Z-8's range was insufficient to fly directly back to the mainland from the West Pacific, but it could use a "leapfrog" strategy. Behind the Liaoning, the Shandong was en route, and behind the Shandong was a dock landing ship. These vessels served as the stepping stones for the leapfrog.

The personnel kept moving while the aircraft changed. On the Shandong, a prepared helicopter awaited their landing. After taking care of basic necessities (like using the restroom), they would take off immediately.

Opening the package of compressed biscuits, Song Xizhu took a bite. The texture of the compressed biscuits wasn't very good, and they immediately absorbed the moisture in her mouth. She took a sip of water to help swallow the biscuit, and only then did her throat feel more comfortable. She continued eating.

After eating one compressed biscuit, Song Xizhu felt full. She put down the mineral water and focused on writing down her speculations and thoughts about the unidentified flying objects in her notebook.

The J-15s providing escort in the sky returned, and they were replaced by carrier-based aircraft from the Shandong: two J-15Ts.

During the monotonous flight, Song Xizhu organized her notes. She planned to give them to her teacher, an academician from East University, upon their return. She imagined he would be very interested in these aircraft. And in Lieutenant Colonel Wang's case, there were also fragments of the aircraft wreckage.

Putting down her notes, she stretched her stiff neck and turned to look out the porthole. Another colossal steel beast of the sea appeared in her field of vision.

Simultaneously, on the sea search radar of the Liaoning's sister ship, a 052D, the IFF identified the 815A and the Charles de Gaulle as they slowly entered the carrier's defensive perimeter.

Under East University's command, the 815A moved closer to the Liaoning. The injured soldiers on board needed to be transferred immediately to the Liaoning, which had better medical facilities. The Charles de Gaulle, meanwhile, was positioned in waters 15 nautical miles away from the Liaoning, with another sister ship escorting it.

On the bridge, the Captain of the Charles de Gaulle observed the escort frigate not far away through his binoculars. Identifying it by its hull number and ship type, he recognized it as the "sword-bearing bodyguard" model – a Type 054A frigate.

Lowering his binoculars, the Captain turned and looked at the still-shining Sky Pit in the sky, saying with deep meaning:

"We are safe. For now."

"Mr. President, this is the darkest day for America. Our Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group has suffered heavy losses!"

The old man sitting on the presidential throne stared blankly at the Secretary of Defense, with an expression that hinted at Alzheimer's.

"Where are our other carrier strike groups?"

"One is in the Middle East, one is in the Mediterranean, and the rest…"

The Minister of Defense didn't finish his sentence. The remaining aircraft carriers were all undergoing maintenance in shipyards, and it would take at least a year or a half before they could be operational.

"Don't publicize this matter. Oh, right, those movies should be taken down!"

Don't let the Americans fool you. They may beat up aliens in Hollywood blockbusters all day long, but when aliens actually show up, they won't mention beating them up anymore.

"Mr. President, you need to give a speech now. Mr. President?! Doctor! Doctor!"

Before he could finish speaking, the old man rolled his eyes and "fainted." He was retiring in a few days, so faking an illness for a few more days wasn't out of the question. It was a good opportunity to leave the mess to the next president.

After he retired, he wouldn't care about any chaos. By the way, since aliens had appeared, America's military strength absolutely had to be increased. Since the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group was already useless, it was fortunate he could place an order for two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers!

Thinking about the retirement bonus (kickbacks) he could receive, the old man's expression became even more vacant.